The Golden Boy Returns

  In 1989, the Gators brought back a legend to be the new head coach. His name was Steve Spurrier. After his 10 year playing career in the NFL, Spurrier went into coaching with stops at Florida, Georgia Tech, and Duke as an assistant before being the head coach for the USFL’s Tampa Bay Bandits going 35-19 in three seasons making it to the playoffs twice. After the USFL folded (thanks to Donald Trump), Spurrier was hired by the Duke Blue Devils to be the head coach in 1987, where he went 20-13-1 including winning a share of the ACC title in 1989. He brought his pass happy offense which many people didn’t think would work in the SEC. Also, his tenure as coaching didn’t really start on a high note when Emmitt Smith left early for the draft which was the first time juniors can do that. Spurrier didn’t ask Smith to leave but didn’t ask him to stay either. Some could say that Spurrier should have asked Smith to stay but two ended up in good situations with Smith going to the Dallas Cowboys ended up being the NFL’s all-time leading rusher and winning Three Super Bowls and Spurrier proving the so-called experts were wrong as the Gators went 9-2 and 1^st in the SEC but once again denied because of NCAA violations. However, that change in 1991 as the Gators finally officially won their first SEC title (at least the first one that wasn't taken away), their first ever 10 win season, and went to the Sugar Bowl where they got beat by Notre Dame 39-28. It was also the last time that the SEC title was decided before the SEC championship game came about in 1992 thanks to SEC Commissioner Roy Kramer adding Arkansas and South Carolina which led to the SEC being the first division 1-A conference to add the Conference Championship which is now commonplace especially in the power five conferences even though the Big 12 has only 10 teams. The Gators played in the first five SEC Championship games, losing the first game to Alabama on a late game interception returned for a touchdown which was documented on SEC Network’s SEC Storied "The Play That Changed College Football" which is their version of ESPN’s 30 for 30. However, they won the next four SEC Championships including three of those against those hated Crimson Tide. Those four years was brought the Gators into new heights including the 1995 and 1996 seasons. The Gators went 45-6-1 in those four years including two national championship appearances including winning the national championship in 1996 against the hated Seminoles in the 1997 Sugar Bowl after FSU beat them in the regular season and no I'm not going to talk about the 1996 Fiesta Bowl where Nebraska won big getting Tom Osboure his second national championship. The 1996 season also featured another Heisman Winner as Quarterback Danny Wuerffel who won in 1996 after finishing in 3rd in 1995. This also became the first time that a Heisman Winner coached another Heisman Winner. After 1996, Spurrier wasn’t able to get another championship though it wasn’t for the lack of trying. The 1997 and 1998 teams went 10-2 which included a 1997 victory against the number one team in the country FSU. Maybe the 1998 season could have been a title year if not a missed field goal in overtime against Tennessee who won the National Championship that year and cornerback Tony George who was a senior didn't get in the fight before the FSU game where he was ejected. Ok I can't say for certain that if the kick was made and George played in that FSU game would have meant another title for the Gators but probably would have helped. If fairness, the Gators did lose to teams that went to the National Championship that season so there's no shame in that though losing to rivals is another story, dang it. If you’re wondering Tennessee beat Florida State for the first BCS Championship game. The 1997 season not so much because the Bulldogs beat the Gators by 20 which also was the first time they won against a Spurrier coached  Gator team. Also, the Gators had a bad habit of losing to the number 14 team in the nation that season (LSU and Georgia were 14th when the Gators played them). The 1999 season had potential but losing the last three games that season hurt big time which included losing the number one FSU who ended up winning the National Championship, losing the SEC Conference Championship to Alabama again (Bama beat the Gators earlier that season in the Swamp), and their bowl game in the Citrus Bowl against Michigan State just missing out playing against Nick Saban who left Michigan State to be the new head coach of the LSU Tigers.. In 2000, they won the SEC title (which ended up being the last under Spurrier). Then there was the 2001 season, which you can make the case of being the beginning of the end. That team was one of the best in Gator history (at the time) and looked like they were going to the National Championship Game being led by Rex Grossman who was the Heisman runner-up that season and his receivers Reche Caldwell and Jabar Gaffney however they had to face off against the Tennessee Volunteers in the last regular season game. Usually it’s the third game of the season but with the terrorist attack of 9/11 the game was postponed until the last week of the regular season. The Gators looked like they had the game late but Tennessee took the lead in the fourth quarter. The Gators had a chance to take the game into overtime but the two point conversion was incomplete and like in 1928, Tennessee got in the way of a national championship. I don’t know if the result about have been different if 9/11 didn’t happen though Tennessee did have a good team during that time even though they lost the next week against LSU in the SEC Championship game. The Gators destroyed Maryland in the Orange Bowl, after the game Steve Spurrier resigned the give the NFL another try (this time as a head coach, he played in the league for ten seasons). Unsure if things would have been different the Gators won in 2001 National Championship. Probably not, he accomplished everything as a college coach (unless coaching a dynasty was on there) and I don’t blame for wanting to try to be a head coach in the NFL. He ended up being hired by the Washington Redskins (now known as the Washington Football Team) where he became one of many mistakes made by owner Dan Snyder (why is he stay owning the team?). He went 12-20 as the Washington head coach in two seasons. He left Florida with a 122-27-1 record (82-12 in the SEC), 6 Official SEC titles, and a National Championship in 12 seasons with the Gators.